Here's the deal: I'm running Debian Jessie (spiced up with a bit of Sid) with a KDE 4.8.4 DE and Amd64 architecture. I used wicd for years but it seems to have self-destructed and I could no longer get on my WiFi using it. I switched to NetworkManager which has a widget called "Network Management", Version 0.9.0.8 (nm09 20130310), and like Wicd, I can manage my network connections from the widget. Everything works perfectly except the the widget will not sit nicely on my taskbar like a good little widget waiting to be clicked on. It only likes my desktop and I cannot resize it which I need to do because it takes up much more of my desktop than I like. I can shut down the widget and the network daemon still works but I'd prefer some sort of widget that will allow me to access the wifi settings if things go wrong. For example, sometimes the connection is lost and the router needs to be rebooted. I also like to monitor the strength of the WiFi connection.

I would welcome any suggestions to either (a) tame Network Management to behave properly or (b) another widget that will behave properly.
Thanks,
jdk

I'm running Sabayon x64 with KDE 4.10.4, and the network manager stays in the tray at all times. I'm running my network through a powerline adapter and recently plugged in a usb wireless adapter just to see if it would interfere, but it actually seems to make the connection more stable when they work in tandem. Both are picked up by the network manager which also allows me to make changes on-the-fly. Generally, I'd suggest using the network manager that comes with your particular desktop environment. By the way, I have not seen a network manager that lets you reboot your router, if you lose your connection to the outside.

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Thanks, fschmeisser. I'm afraid you misunderstood about rebooting the router. I DO NOT use the widget or any other application to reboot the router. I go to the router and push a button in the back to shut it off and then I wait 30 seconds and push the same button on the back of the router to turn it on. Yes, I do use the Network Manager that comes with my desktop. As I said it works fine. Since I use a desktop and not a laptop there is no built-in wifi adapter. I use a ZyXEL usb dongle which also works perfectly. I am looking for a widget like the one that Wicd has which allows you to monitor network activity as I described in my first post. There is a widget called "Network Management" which is just what I want except I can't get it to sit on my taskbar or allow me to reduce its size on the desktop.

I hope this is clearer now.
jdk

Have you got any good solutions to the problem?

Nil, zero, nada, niente.
Thanks for asking.
jdk

1 members found this post helpful.

Anytime ! just wanna you can solve it, 'cause i'm learning about this !

As I said above, you can try Wicd. It stopped being able to connect to my Wifi router but when it was working, its taskbar widget was exactly what I wanted. I think some other desktops than KDE may have something good.
good luck
jdk